I’m no authority in what places are the must-dos. But I can tell you which are the ones I went to. I’ll sprinkle in some basic information along the way and tell you about my experience. Your trip will be different but I thought I’d share mine.

I had a work trip in Dubai. And as I looked at the map of the Middle East, I noticed Bahrain. The country is a place I’ve never visited, and getting in and out of the place seemed convenient (e-visa for Filipinos, decent flight times, and no security alerts). So… I booked my ticket and readied myself for the unknown. 

The island nation is situated in the Persian Gulf. The economy is developed and the main industry is oil. Despite the infrastructure that’s set up for a plethora of tourists, I did not see many. My friend and I were the only ones in immigration. That’s a tragedy considering everything the place offers. 

Manama is the capital and is the largest city of Bahrain. That was my destination and definitely a place to remember. 

Here are five places I visited in Manama:

The Bahrain Fort / Qal’at al-Bahrain

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a place from the 3rd millenium BCE was in Bahrain. And my even bigger shock was reserved for the fact that there weren’t many people around. Normally, when I’m standing in an ancient archaeological site, I wouldn’t have this much space to myself. The Indiana Joneses, Ross Gellers, and Kim Kardashians of the world would be everywhere. But the lucky one for the day was myself, while the world lost. Important parts of itself remain to be seen.

There’s a fort, a castle, and an area for people to inhabit and trade. While the Persians, Portuguese, and the Bahraini all have claims to the place at one point in time, and they were responsible for parts of its construction and reconstruction, the actual civilisation that started it all were the Dilmunites. Now, I’ve never heard of them until I came to Bahrain. But I guess I learned one thing that day. For more information on the Dilmunites, please have a look elsewhere.

Al Fateh Mosque

The Middle East is home to some iconic and large mosques. And Bahrain will not be left behind. The Al Fateh Mosque is one of the largest in the world and is an intersection between Islamic design and modern architecture.

Similar to my experience in Kuala Lumpur, the mosque is open to the public (subject to prayer times and appropriate clothing), and comes with a free tour. The free guide took me on a history lesson of the building and an appreciation of Islamic rituals. I always prefer a local talking me through how they live their everyday lives instead of reading about it. And that is a welcome practice that maybe other religions should adapt.

Some will meet this gesture with scepticism. I came in with an open mind.

Beit al Quran

I actually thought the place was closed when I came for a visit. The guards were nowhere to be found (initially).

In this post, I speak of a limited number of tourists. But this one takes the top prize. My friend and I had the entire place literally to ourselves during our visit.

I always prefer small museums with focus. Louvre and Rijksmuseum are the favourites of most but not mine. If you give me a large, hodgepodge of items with no cohesion. My capacity to focus is out the window. As you can see, I’m now digressing.

Despite my atheistic background, I thought the showcase was engaging. The micro sized qurans were definitely the highlight. Reading them with a magnifying glass can be a challenge. But imagine being responsible for scribbling them. Maybe Antman is real after all.

Bahrain National Museum

Speaking of large and comprehensive, the Bahrain National Museum is known for possessing these characteristics in relation to its museum counterparts in the Gulf region. Not only are there multiple exhibitions. But the reimagining of their culture and history, where artefacts are nowhere to be found, are replicated in great and grand detail. Imagine your history project, except this one is funded by millions of dollars. What a great diorama that would be!

Unlike a lot of countries which make the news, Bahrain doesn’t. That in turn sparks less curiosity. And therefore shrouds the state in more mystery. If only for the insight the place gave me into the Bahraini life, I would give this a thumbs up!

Bahrain Bay

I’ve lived in Singapore for three and a half years. And if I was just dreaming, and if I’ve never been to Bahrain, I could swear for an hour or two that I was back there.

The Bahrain Bay is filled with tall skyscrapers, clean and paved roads, convenient jogging paths, and almost without faults.

My friend and I took an afternoon stroll and ended up in the Four Seasons Hotel. I thought the structure was some kind of attraction. But I should have known that most buildings in this area were either banks or hotels.

All photos were taken on January 2023.